What is Biodiversity?

Why is it important?
Mrs. Neistadt
Which do you like better?

A B
Which do you like better?

A B
What do you think biodiversity
means?
 Biodiversity
What does “Bio” mean?

Bio =
 Biodiversity

What does “Diversity” mean?

Diversity = Variety
*Biodiversity is the variety of life in an
area that is determined by the number
of different species in that area.
*Biodiversity increases the stability of
an ecosystem and contributes to the
health of the biosphere.
*There are 3 components of
biodiversity:
 Genetic Diversity
1. *Genetic Diversity- the variety of
genes or inheritable characteristics
present in a population
Chihuahuas, beagles, and Rottweiler's are all dogs—
but they're not the same because their genes are
different.

Chihuahua Beagle
Rottweilers
 Species Diversity
2. *Species Diversity- the number of
different species and the relative
abundance of each species in a
biological community.
For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and meadow
beauties are all different species in the same community.

Saki Monkey Golden Skimmer Meadow Beauty

 Ecosystem Diversity
3. *Ecosystem Diversity- the variety of
ecosystems that are present in the biosphere.

Prairies, Ponds, and tropical rain forests are all ecosystems.

Each one is different, with its own set of species living in it.

Paines Prairie Florida Sand hill Pond

Hoh Rain Forest

Which is more diverse?

A B
Which is more diverse?

A B
Which is more diverse?

A B
Which is more diverse?

A B
Which has more biodiversity?

A B
Which has more biodiversity?

A B
The Importance of Biodiversity
*Aesthetic and Scientific Value: The value of beauty
and scientific discovery cannot be measured, but are
extremely important to life on Earth.
*Direct Economic Value: Maintaining biodiversity
has a direct economic value to humans. Humans
depend on plants and animals for food, clothing,
energy, medicine and shelter.
The Importance of Biodiversity
*Indirect Economic Value: a healthy biosphere
provides many services to humans and other
organisms that live on Earth.
Examples:
•Green plants provide oxygen
•Water cycle provides clean water
The Importance of Biodiversity
Your Turn:
Think of an environment you have been to, or live
in. What different species of plants and animals
have you seen? How do they depend on each
other? What are some examples of genetic
diversity and species diversity in that environment?
Write a paragraph that answers these questions.
 Should we be concerned about
biodiversity?
What we know:
The Earth is losing species at an alarming rate

 In the past 500 years, we know of approximately 1,000 species

that have gone extinct
*Threats to biodiversity

*Overexploitation
*Habitat Loss
*Habitat Fragmentation
*Pollution
*Introduced Species
*Global Climate Change
 Extinct Species
 Extinct species- are plants or animals that once
lived on Earth that have completely
disappeared.
The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless
bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island
of Mauritius. It stood about a metre (3.3 feet) tall,
weighing about 20 kilograms (44 lb).
The dodo was first mentioned by Dutch sailors in
1598. By 1681, all dodos had been killed by
hungry sailors or their domesticated animals.
The extinction of the bird, within 80 years of its
discovery, made people realise for the first time
that humans could induce the extinction of plants
and animals.--- …http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo
 Endangered Species
 An Endangered Species- is a plant or animal
that is in danger of becoming extinct.
 http://www.fws.gov/endangered/

 List of endangered species

 A Threatened Species- plants or animals that
may become endangered in the near future